Page 1 of 2 Next >>Italian industrialist Martino Finotto commissioned the construction of a sports racer virtually from scratch for the new-for-1983 Group C Junior class. Tasked with the development and construction of the chassis was the newly formed Alba company, which was headed by former Osella chief engineer Giorgio Stirano. The engine was purpose built by the the Carma company, which was headed by Carlo Facetti and funded by his friend Martino Finotto as well.

Thanks to a virtually limitless budget, Stirano was able to create the very first carbon-fibre composite sports car chassis. Designed with the new Alba AR2 in mind, the Carma FF engine could be used as a partially stressed member of the chassis, while the rest of the load was carried by a tubular frame. To allow for a relatively clean airflow through the ground-effect tunnels, the springs and dampers were mounted in-board. At the front they were actuated by pull-rods while at the rear push-rods were fitted.

To power the car, Facetti created a four-cylinder engine around a cast-iron block and an aluminium head with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Equipped with a turbo and displacing just over 1.8-litre, it initially produced 410 bhp and eventually pumped out 460 bhp. Although initially dubbed the Carma FF after Finotto and Facetti, homologation requirements prompted a partnership with Fiat-owned subsidiary Giannini. It was mated to a five-speed Hewland gearbox. Page 1 of 2 Next >>